31 reviews of this school

This is a safe place to share your honest opinions of a school, whether good or bad.
Learn more.

Alexander Montessori School5

Posted February 07, 2014
- a community member

I have been involved in the Alexander School family for over twenty years now. Not only is Alexander an amazing educational institutions, it is one of the most inspiring schools I have come across. The administration and staff care so much about every single student and family, that one cannot help but to fall in love and never want to leave. Alexander not only academically prepares students, they foster a love of learning and a love for our common man. Anyone that has anything bad to say about this school is truly ludicrous. -3rd generation Alexander Montessori School Alumni

Our child has been in AMS for 4 months now and the whole family could not be happier. She always comes home happy and says all the teachers and her friends love her. When I ask her if she misses her old school she tells me she doesn't want to go back. From what I see, there is just no comparison between AMS and her old school (and I would dare say many other schools) in terms of teacher preparedness, cultivation in the child's individuality and stimulation to the young brains. The teachers and staff are always friendly and responsive. I felt slightly disrespected once but luckily we don't attend that campus any more. I almost wish I could go back to childhood and experience the education my daughter is so privileged to receive. The only down side is they have a lot of teacher work days and on those days you have to pay extra for child care. But come to think about it, only quality teachers make quality students so in the bigger picture it's still all good. 6 stars for AMS! Thank you for being there for parents who cannot do everything to develop the young brains in the early years.

The administration of this school has serious issues with conformity. Take special note of the part of the enrollment contract that says that "the school's programs are not designed for children with learning difficulties or emotional or psychological problems or neurological impairment". What this means in practice is that if your child is unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with some kind of developmental disorder, you will be told that your child would be "better off elsewhere", even if the problem doesn't show up in their academic achievement or in their classroom behavior. You could probably insist that they accommodate your child -- or you might decide, as we did, that you'd prefer your child to be somewhere where they aren't treated merely as an inconvenient label. Even if your child is "normal", you might prefer to spend your money somewhere that cares about education rather than just appearances. (The classroom teachers, though, are awesome.)

PROUD Alexander parents since November 2006 2 sons (2nd grade & Orchid door). WE ONLY HAVE POSITIVE comments about EVERY aspect of this school. It is a family! I find the comment below upsetting since we have a daughter with Cerebral Palsy (wheelchair bound - nonverbal). They are ALWAYS so caring & welcoming to her; to the point of actually sharing resources & information that may help our daughter. I have never heard of a child being excluded from moving to 1st grade. In fact, when my son went from K to 1st (11 kids) only 4 kids left one moved away & other 3 went to different schools (parents decisions). As for the comment re: REPUTATION & MONEY I ask you have you ever owned a business? No matter what you are running it has to be a business otherwise the doors will close. We speak from experience - reputation and money are CRUCIAL in maintaining any business. If you want the truth take the time to see the school and talk to the parents that are there. The parents like us that have been there for many years. I know parents that have been part of Alexander for more than 10 years. That is something to think about. In fact, ask for us Manny & Michelle Garcia

My daughter who has been at Alexander since she was eighteen months old will be attending Kindergarten next year. It amazes me that she is already working at a level way beyond Kindergarten. When you compare Alexander Montessori with traditional schools out there, there is no comparison. Where can you find a Pre-Kindergarten student doing advanced math such as multiplying and dividing and reading and writing? And the best part is they have fun doing it. The teachers are amazing really nurturing a child's love of learning, teaching them about caring for one another and their environment. I love that my child is happy and enjoying her experience at a school, where it is much more about independent learning and thinking and not about standardization of learning.

Don t be fooled by their advertisements about caring about the education of every child, or by the high test scores they tout. The driving interest of the administration is in keeping their official test scores up to attract parents with money. Their test scores are the product of their exclusionary admissions policies. Their preschools are used as farm clubs, and they then exclude at the kindergarten level! or hold back all of those children who they think won t add to the luster of their school. (Sometimes half or more of a kindergarten class are told they can t go on). Particularly immoral is that they even exclude children purely on the basis of disabilities regardless of their test scores or report cards. You can imagine how hurtful it is to the children who are told they are not worthy to go on to first grade there with their peers. If you do not wish to risk this experience for your child and family, do not choose Alexander. Despite some caring teachers, the administration does not truly care about the education of the children entrusted to them, but only about their school's ranking, and about not having to make an effort to work with any students who are different.

Alexander Montessori is indeed a 'great school.' Actually, it is an excellent school. I transferred my daugther this year and she is excited to go to school everyday. The teachers and administrators genuinely care about the students and the quality of their education. They are educators in the truest sense of the word. I originally had some concerns about the Montessori method, but each has been completley erased as I have seen how the children are deeply understanding what they learn as well as loving the process -- rather than memorizing lessons for a test. I recommend Alexander with no reservations and wish we had started in kindergarten!

My children absolutely love this school - for them it is a nurturing environment in which they love to learn. The teachers are experienced and knowledgable on teaching children both in education and practical life experiences. The opportunities at the school, both inan out of the classroom, far surpass those offered in comparable schools in the area. I find the administrators and staff to be responsible and open to addressing any issue that comes up. My children love to go to school - their eneregncy level in the mornings when they know they are off to Alexander is akin to a child going to the happiest place on earth. I can't imagine my children growing up without the Alexander!

I felt a need to review this school since I think the old reviews from 2009 are unfair. My daughter is currently in the toddler program and we are planning on transitioning to the preschool program soon. We have had a great experience at this school and so have the parents I've spoken to. Most of the teachers are very experienced and have been with the school a long time. My daughter's teacher is very warm and caring and their program is wonderful. As far as the money issue, other than requests for minor contributions from the APA which are standard for any school we have never been approached by the administration to contribute additional funds- the tuition already covers everything. Highly recommend this school.